Rockets 104, Kings 87: Lowry returns in third straight road win

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Late in the first half Sunday, with the Rockets tearing through the Kings’ approximation of defense, Luis Scola went for a wide-eyed facial of a slam over Kings center DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins would not allow it, plastering Scola to the floor before he could finish his attempt at a stunning exclamation point. The Rockets had no complaints. They had brought back Kyle Lowry a month to the day after he was hospitalized. They escaped a rocky third quarter in time to blow out the Kings 104-87. And with Scola’s effort to rock the rim, they were more than entertained.

“I almost had a heart attack,” Chandler Parsons said. “My chest really was hurting after that. If he wasn’t fouled, he had it.”

Scola said he has heard plenty about the moment from his teammates and expects more. He did not seem to mind.

“It was funny,” he said. “I was close. That’s all I’ll say. I was close.”

But Lowry’s return might have been a greater surprise than Scola’s confusing himself for Blake Griffin.

Lowry returned less than two weeks after he said he did not know if he would play again this season, just 10 days after he was cleared to begin any activity. He went through one practice and a light walk-through before convincing coach Kevin McHale he was ready.

Eager to return

“I wanted to play the last game,” Lowry said after the Rockets’ third straight win on the road. “Coach said no. Tonight, he let me go out there. I said I wanted to play. After the day I practiced (Thursday), I felt great. Coach didn’t want me to play the Lakers game. Tonight, was an opportunity to play, so he let me.”

Lowry said that if he had been told March 29 when the antibiotics catheter was removed from his arm that he would be playing against the Kings on Sunday, “I wouldn’t have believed you. Things happened really fast. The training staff did a great job. I committed to getting back sooner than later.”

After missing 15 games — with the Rockets going 9-6 — Lowry did not ease his way back. He played 18 minutes off the bench, including the entire fourth quarter. He missed his three shots, but he had seven assists without a turnover or a complaint.

“I’m not as fast as I want to be, but I’m going to get back there,” Lowry said. “It wasn’t a break I wanted to take, but I definitely feel good. I think the break helped me a little bit. It was an unfortunate situation, but I think it’s going to help me in the long run.”

Goran Dragic played 34 minutes, even with Lowry back, totaling 15 points, nine assists and four rebounds. He said he felt strangely out of breath in the first half, leading McHale to be happy to see a chance to lighten Dragic’s load.
Coach pleased

“I thought Kyle did a good job,” McHale said. “I was pleasantly surprised with his wind, really excited that Goran was able to get some rest, which is key for us. Goran going forward is going to play some long minutes. I thought that is really, really good. I thought Kyle was sharp with the ball. Defensively, he was really active.”

The Rockets, who stand sixth in the Western Conference and are two games up on No. 9 Phoenix, picked a good game to work Lowry back into the mix. With Courtney Lee scoring 17 first-quarter points on his way to a season-high 25, they led by 19 in the first half.